资深吃货：dumplings究竟为何物？

 　　There's something extraordinarily¹ satisfying about biting into a perfect dumpling—the tug² of dough³, the burst of steam, that first hit of flavorful filling. And the history of the dumpling is a noble one, a tale of transforming meager⁴ ingredients, typically expensive animal proteins, into hearty⁵, substantial meals with the help of a little flour and water.

　　咬一口美味的饺子就会有一种无比享受的满足感：劲道的面皮、蒸汽的孕育、味蕾与美味馅料的触碰。饺子的历史是非常神圣和崇高的，它是个将少数几种材料（通常是昂贵的动物蛋白、面粉和水）转变为美味佳肴的故事。

　　But in a galaxy⁶ of won tons and potstickers, knishes and kreplach, empanadas and ravioli, knowing where a dumpling begins and ends can get a little complicated. Like the chicken and the egg, the true nature of the dumpling remains⁷ shrouded⁸ in mystery...or at least a healthy amount of debate.

　　但是饺子种类繁多，包括混沌、锅贴、犹太馅饼、三角混沌、肉馅卷饼和意大利饺子，要知道饺子的始末有些困难。就像鸡和蛋的故事一样，饺子的来源也依然是未解之谜……或者至少是一场有意义的争论。

　　资深吃货：dumplings究竟为何物？

　　So when we set out to chart some of the world's greatest dumplings, we found ourselves faced with a single all-consuming question. What is dumpling?

　　所以，当我们打算聊一聊世界上最伟大的饺子时，我发现我们面临一些很耗费精力的问题。饺子是什么？

　　Ultimately, while the word "dumpling" may have many different meanings—and in China, the dumpling capital of the world, no meaning at all—we've been forced to make some difficult decisions. As we embark⁹ on the epic¹⁰ project of classifying our planet's vast array of dumplings, we've opted¹¹ to count only those foods made by wrapping dough around a filling. And, to simplify matters further, we're including only those foods intended to be consumed in three bites or fewer. Quibble if you must, but items like gnocchi and matzo balls won't appear here. Likewise, with an upcoming guide to Italian pastas in the works, your tortellini, agnolotti, and ravioli haven't been included in this particular list.

　　尽管单词"dumpling"可能有很多不同的意思，尤其是在中国，世界饺子之都，根本没有什么意义，最终我们不得不做出一些困难的决定。当我们着手将世界上的所有的饺子归类这一伟大的壮举时，我们已经选择只把那些带馅的面食计算在内。而且我们只讨论那些能在三口之内吃完的带馅面食。如果非要狡辩的话，面粉或马铃薯做的团子也不会出现在这里。同样地，以后会介绍的意大利面食、意式饺子、肉饺和混沌并不包括在这个苛刻的清单中。

　　Join us on a journey from China to India, Nepal, Russia, and beyond, as we explore the great wide world of dumplings. (Coming soon!)

　　加入我们的饺子之旅吧！从中国到印度、尼泊尔、俄罗斯和其它地方，探寻来自世界各地的饺子。（即将登场，敬请期待！）

1 extraordinarily   

adv.格外地；极端地

参考例句：

• She is an extraordinarily beautiful girl.她是个美丽非凡的姑娘。
• The sea was extraordinarily calm that morning.那天清晨，大海出奇地宁静。

2 tug   

v.用力拖(或拉)；苦干；n.拖；苦干；拖船

参考例句：

• We need to tug the car round to the front.我们需要把那辆车拉到前面。
• The tug is towing three barges.那只拖船正拖着三只驳船。

3 dough   

n.生面团；钱，现款

参考例句：

• She formed the dough into squares.她把生面团捏成四方块。
• The baker is kneading dough.那位面包师在揉面。

4 meager   

adj.缺乏的，不足的，瘦的

参考例句：

• He could not support his family on his meager salary.他靠微薄的工资无法养家。
• The two men and the woman grouped about the fire and began their meager meal.两个男人同一个女人围着火，开始吃起少得可怜的午饭。

5 hearty   

adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的

参考例句：

• After work they made a hearty meal in the worker's canteen.工作完了，他们在工人食堂饱餐了一顿。
• We accorded him a hearty welcome.我们给他热忱的欢迎。

6 galaxy   

n.星系；银河系；一群(杰出或著名的人物)

参考例句：

• The earth is one of the planets in the Galaxy.地球是银河系中的星球之一。
• The company has a galaxy of talent.该公司拥有一批优秀的人才。

7 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

8 shrouded   

v.隐瞒( shroud的过去式和过去分词 )；保密

参考例句：

• The hills were shrouded in mist . 这些小山被笼罩在薄雾之中。
• The towers were shrouded in mist. 城楼被蒙上薄雾。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 embark   

vi.乘船，着手，从事，上飞机

参考例句：

• He is about to embark on a new business venture.他就要开始新的商业冒险活动。
• Many people embark for Europe at New York harbor.许多人在纽约港乘船去欧洲。

10 epic   

n.史诗，叙事诗；adj.史诗般的，壮丽的

参考例句：

• I gave up my epic and wrote this little tale instead.我放弃了写叙事诗，而写了这个小故事。
• They held a banquet of epic proportions.他们举行了盛大的宴会。

11 opted   

v.选择，挑选( opt的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She was co-opted onto the board. 她获增选为董事会成员。
• After graduating she opted for a career in music. 毕业后她选择了从事音乐工作。